Israel Says Sniper Deserves A Medal For Shooting Palestinian — Probes Video
Image by YouTube
Israel praised the sniper who was filmed shooting a Palestinian youth on the Gaza border but pledged disciplinary action over the leaked video of the incident.
The 81-second clip surfaced on social media on Monday and led Israeli TV news, with one host calling it “disturbing.” Its release followed a surge in Palestinian protests at the Gaza border in which 30 demonstrators have been killed by the army.
In a statement summarizing a preliminary investigation, the military spokesman said the incident took place took place on Dec. 22, amid Palestinian unrest at U.S. President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as the Israeli capital.
The Palestinian who was shot was suspected of organizing a “riot, which included rock hurling and attempts to sabotage the security fence, and lasted about two hours,” the statement said.
The sniper fired at him once, wounding him in the leg, after warnings shots and orders to disperse went unheeded, it said, adding that the video was taken by a soldier from another unit.
It was not clear how many soldiers might face disciplinary action, nor how harsh it might be. In the video, a voice can be heard saying, “Yes! Son of a bitch!” as the Palestinian, who appears to be standing motionless near the fence, is shot.
Remarking on the video on Tuesday, Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman told reporters: “The Gaza sniper deserves a decoration, and the photographer a demerit.”—Reuters
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we still need 300 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Only 300 more gifts needed by April 30
